It began as a peaceful high school protest near Nelson Mandela’s home. The protest turned violent, spawned an iconic photo and helped turn the tide against apartheid. NBC’s Lester Holt reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>mandela had been in prison 13 years when
high school
students here in
soweto
launched a protest against the ruling apar thid government. although mandela will remain in prison 14 years the protest marked a turning point that changed the country's direction. one teenage boy and an iconic photo became symbols of a need for change. the
young girl
is antoinette peterson, the bloodied and lifeless boys in the arms of a stranger is her 13-year-old brother, hector. it was
june 16th
,
1976
, the day the
soweto uprising
began.

>>all of a sudden there was a shot. can you imagine that number running for cover?

>> reporter: it began as a peaceful protest by
high school
students against a
government policy
requiring them to learn in africans, the language of the
white minority
government.

>>students are like no we are not going to fight anyone. we are just going to convey the message. the one written on the plaquard.

>> reporter: you had no idea you were in danger?

>>not at all. not at all. to us it was a peaceful march, just going to convey our message.

>> reporter: but then
tear gas
followed by bullets were fired at the crowd by police, scores, including young hector, who wasn't even supposed to be there, were killed on that first day.

>>you're sort of torn, i could see myself on the other end crying in desperation. the next moment there was a killing, i couldn't believe that happened, it was just disbelief.

>> reporter: the march became an uprising and seminal moment in the battle against apartheid. there is a
permanent marker
on the corner where
hector peterson
died just outside the school. it was no coincidence the
student uprising
began in this part of
soweto
, a few blocks from where
nelson mandela
lived. though he was in prison at the time he remained a huge influence in this neighborhood and his life served as a
call to action
.

>>i think the uprising because of him, because we knew that serving so much years in jail, why are we sitting and folding our arms?
let us
do something.

>> reporter: the uprising would claim hundreds of lives before it was over but it would also severely damage the apartheid government and rally
world opinion
against it.

>>our own self-interests in an africa that lives in piece and racial harmony and our abiding commitment to peace and
world order
permit us no other course.

>> reporter: nowadays,
sowetohigh school
students too young to have known life under apartheid visit the
hector peterson
memorial. it was not the current generation's struggle but it is their history.

>>i don't think we can forget about it. we try to live with it and make peace and endure, over and above everything else,
things are getting better
.

>> reporter: a testament to the legacies of a
young boy
and a beloved leader.
nelson mandela
was honored with a replica statue of that iconic
hector peterson
photo back in
2006
.